If the results of an online poll conducted by the Killeen Daily Herald are to be believed, there does not appear to be widespread support for building a new city hall in Killeen – at least not at the moment.
About 55 percent of respondents said they would not support such a project at this time.
However, about 25% said they would support building a new city hall downtown, and nearly 14% said they would support a bond for a city hall if the facility were located outside downtown.
A further 6.2% of respondents were undecided.
An architect hired by the city recently presented a proposal to the Killeen City Council that calls for the construction of a new city hall, an attached city courthouse and two multi-story parking garages for about $124 million.
The complex is to be built in the city centre near the current town hall, which is 100 years old, too small and needs significant renovation work.
The City Council has tentatively agreed to move forward with plans for a bond issue for the project in May 2025, but the final decision has not yet been made.
Some city council members were bothered by the cost of the new complex and asked if there was a way to reduce the costs.
One challenge for the city is the limited availability of land in the city center, so the survey asked whether building the city hall complex elsewhere would bring more support to the project.
Council members are expected to review the architect’s plans during a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The Herald poll asked, “Would you be more inclined to support a bond issue for a new city hall in Killeen if the building were built outside of downtown?”
Some respondents appear to be against the project, regardless of where it is to be built.
A total of 54.9 percent of voters answered “No. Regardless of the location, I would not support the construction of a new town hall at this time.”
Another 25% responded to the second “no” answer: “No. The town hall should stay in the city center; it will harmonize well with the new courthouse extension.”
The relocation of the project to another location was partially supported.
Just over 8% of respondents agreed with the statement “Yes. The current town hall is not easily accessible. Another location would be better for the citizens.”
Another 5.7% agreed with the statement “yes.” Settling on a larger site would give the city more flexibility and could be cheaper.”
The breakdown of the answers can be found graphically in Sunday’s opinion section, page C5.
Readers are invited to take part in this week’s poll, which ends on Saturday.
Due to the structure of the online survey, each respondent can only vote once.
This week’s question is: “Do you believe Killeen authorities have adequately kept the public informed following the recent cyberattack on the city?”
The results will be published next Sunday in the Opinion section on page C5.
